


fight off the light tonight (and just stay with me)

by thewriterofperfectdisasters



Series: Fall Out Boy Fic February 2015~ [7]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, obligatory valentines fic, only au bc mandy fuckING STAYED IN CHICAGO, sappy as shit at the end, she's not even in this fic, who gives a fuck when what flowers are in season
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 00:58:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3361898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewriterofperfectdisasters/pseuds/thewriterofperfectdisasters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mickey had always hated Valentine’s Day.</p>
<p>To him, it was more than a holiday being overly capitalised on, it was always just part of something he would never get to have. Growing up, Mickey didn’t realistically think for a second that he would ever have someone to love, and not even in his wildest and <i>unrealistic</i> dreams did he think he would have someone like Ian.</p>
<p>But he did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	fight off the light tonight (and just stay with me)

**Author's Note:**

> it's not really valentine's anymore, but i came up with shit all yesterday ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> title semi-unrelated and from 'jet pack blues' by you know who and off what album etc etc.

Mickey had always hated Valentine’s Day.

To him, it was more than a holiday being overly capitalised on, it was always just part of something he would never get to have. Growing up, Mickey didn’t realistically think for a second that he would ever have someone to love, and not even in his wildest and _unrealistic_ dreams did he think he would have someone like Ian.

But he did.

After they first got together after the tire iron incident, Mickey knew Ian would want to celebrate Valentine’s, probably in that way of his – too sweet and cutesy and full of affection for Mickey to stomach thinking about – but Mickey had shut that right the fuck down before Ian could even _suggest_ doing something romantic or whatever the fuck. Mickey had always made it clear that Valentine’s celebrations were not something he wanted to partake in, and while Ian had seemed upset, he never argued.

The extent of their Valentine’s dates were beer, weed, and fucking somewhere, usually an abandoned building or something. Ian never complained, and never pushed the subject, and Mickey finally understood why. Ian didn’t want to push Mickey too far and lose him. He felt like he had caught up to Ian’s feelings for him now.

Ian had always been pretty open with how he felt about Mickey, and it had been kind of a slow build in terms of his outward affection for him. Mickey, though. He had gone from zero to one hundred in what felt like seconds. One moment he was kicking him in the teeth, the next he was hauling his coked out ass away from predatory geriatrics, then the next he was declaring him his boyfriend and coming out.

And now they were domestic as fuck, and even had a fucking _baby_ to look after.

This was the first Valentine’s Day that everything was perfect. Ian was stable, Terry wasn’t an issue, and they didn’t have to hide their love for each other. Mickey didn’t know how yet, but he was gonna make this Valentine’s Day count for something.

 

* * *

 

Honestly, the last thing Mickey wanted to do was buy fucking flowers, but apparently that was something you were supposed to do, so he grumped his way to the flower shop Mandy had suggested. He entered the shop and heard a little bell ring above the door. Mickey wished he could ring that stupid bell’s neck, because he already felt awkward enough as it was, and now someone would probably come out and help him, which would only _increase_ that feeling.

Mickey decided the best course of action would be to swiftly walk into the aisle with the most flowers, and try to hide himself. Didn’t really occur to him that he sort of needed to pay for the flowers once he had chosen them, but that was a bridge he would cross when he got –

‘Can I help you with anything?’

_Fuck._ Mickey turned around to be met with a young, olive skinned woman smiling warmly at him. ‘Uh… yeah,’ Mickey started. ‘I need flowers?’

‘For Valentine’s Day or for something else?’ At Mickey’s confusion she continued, ‘Like a funeral or something?’

‘Oh,’ Mickey shook his head. ‘Valentine’s.’

‘Okay, great. Do you want some help picking them out?’ she asked, brushing her long black hair behind her ear and exposing a nametag reading _Georgia._

Mickey nodded. ‘Yeah, I know fuck all about flowers.’

Georgia laughed. ‘That’s fine! Have you got a budget or anything?’ At Mickey’s shrug, Georgia nodded and led him over to the back wall, where there was an array of flowers sitting in buckets on shelves. ‘Do you know what sort of colours your girlfriend likes? Or her favourite flower?’

Mickey blushed. After everything he and Ian had been through, he still found it difficult to correct people when they assumed he had a girlfriend, but fuck it – it was Valentine’s, and Mickey was making up for all that shit. ‘Boyfriend. He’s pretty easy. With colours, I mean.’

Georgia smiled. ‘This your first Valentine’s together?’ she asked, surveying the flowers and taking a bunch out of a bucket to inspect them.

‘Nah. We’ve been together a few years, this is just the first one we’re actually doing something for,’ Mickey rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. ‘We’ve been through a lot of shit.’

Georgia nodded and seemed to understand. Thank God, she pried no further. ‘Okay, what are your thoughts on roses?’

‘Overused,’ Mickey replied instantly. ‘He deserves more than some shitty cliché of red roses and fuckin’ chocolate.’

Georgia smiled at that. ‘Fair enough. How do you feel about red flowers in general? Red is the colour of love, after all.’

‘Also the colour of his hair,’ Mickey muttered. ‘Red is fine.’

‘Okay,’ Georgia picked out a small bunch of red flowers. ‘What about these? There’s some carnations in there, a few asters and gerberas.’

Mickey shook his head. ‘Don’t wanna get a small one. If I’m getting him fuckin’ _flowers_ , then I’m gonna get him fuckin’ flowers. You get me?’

‘Go big or go home?’ Georgia nodded and put them back, then led him over to a different selection of flowers. ‘What about this?’ she asked, holding up a white bouquet that was more to Mickey’s liking. ‘It’s not red, I know, but this has some calla lilies and some roses and a few other things.’

‘I like it,’ Mickey nodded his approval.

‘Great! Do you need anything else? A card or something like that?’

‘Yeah, probably a card,’ Mickey rolled his eyes. ‘And a bear or something. Fuckin’ idiot would love that.’

Georgia grinned. ‘We do have bears. Big or little?’

‘Uh… Smallish?’ Mickey said questioningly, following Georgia to the wall of various other items. ‘This one.’ He plucked a small black bear with a blue ribbon from the shelf and looked to the wall of cards. ‘Oh Jesus.’

‘Blank or with a message in it?’

‘I don’t really care.’

‘Okay, cool. This one has a message in it but a lot of blank space as well,’ she said, taking down a generic card with a picture of two little cats on it – one black, one with orange fur. ‘You said he was a redhead, right?’

‘Yeah,’ Mickey raised an eyebrow at the card.

‘Card okay then?’

Mickey rolled his eyes. ‘I hate it, but he’ll think it’s cute or some shit.’

‘Perfect!’ Georgia grinned, leading him over to the register to pay. ‘Anything else you need?’

‘Nah, this is enough sappy bullshit to make up for the past few years. Don’t wanna go overboard.’

‘Okay, no problem.’ Georgia added up the cost, and Mickey handed over the cash without a word. ‘Have a good day!’ Georgia smiled, handing him the flowers. ‘I’m sure he’ll love everything.’

‘Even if he hates it, he’ll pretend he doesn’t,’ Mickey rolled his eyes. ‘It’s what I get for being stuck with someone as good as him.’

‘I think he’ll love it just because it’s you,’ Georgia shrugged. ‘I don’t know him, but I think he will.’

‘Thanks,’ Mickey smiled, waving his flowers and leaving the shop. He walked back to his house and went straight to the kitchen. He put his flowers, card, and the tiny bear on the table, then grabbed a beer from the fridge and looked around for a pen.

He took the card from its envelope, and stared at the inside. It had a short message of _“I love you more meow than ever!”_ and Mickey actually threw up a bit in his mouth. He poised the pen over the card, and got off to a fantastic start by putting down _“Ian,”_ and nothing after that.

After a few minutes, he added a _“Mickey”_ at the bottom of the card, and wracked his brain for something else he could write. Jesus Christ. He knew how he felt about Ian, but it was a _feeling_ and Mickey had never been that great with expressing his feelings or with writing stuff that would sound good.

Mickey stared at the card, blank except for his and Ian’s names and the stupid message in the middle, and decided that was probably as good as it was going to get. He shouldn’t have gotten the damn thing in the first place. He slipped the card back into the envelope, right as he heard Ian come through the front door.

‘Mickey?’ he called. ‘You home?’

‘Yeah,’ Mickey replied, stepping out of the kitchen. ‘How was work?’

Ian rolled his eyes. ‘Work-ish. How was your day?’

Mickey looked down to his hands and focused on rubbing off some dirt from his knuckle. ‘It was okay.’

‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ Ian asked, immediately picking up on Mickey’s change in demeanour, and coming around the couch to stand in front of him and put his hands reassuringly on Mickey’s shoulders.

‘Nothing, I’m fine,’ Mickey said, looking up to Ian’s worried face. ‘It’s Valentine’s Day.’

‘It is,’ Ian smiled. ‘That reminds me.’ He went over to his backpack where he had dropped it on the couch, and he pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He handed it to Mickey and kissed him lightly. ‘Happy Valentine’s.’

Mickey smiled. ‘Thanks.’

‘Did you get me something?’ Ian asked hopefully.

‘I… yeah,’ Mickey cleared his throat. ‘You can’t laugh, a’ight?’

‘Promise. Do you want me to cover my eyes?’

Mickey rolled his eyes, but nodded. ‘Yeah.’

‘Okay,’ Ian said, putting his hands over his eyes dutifully as Mickey went to the kitchen and gathered up his gifts.

Mickey came back to the living room and chewed on his lip. ‘You can open your eyes.’

Ian removed his hands and cracked his eye open, before they both flew open in surprise. ‘Oh my God,’ he said, taking the flowers and giving them a sniff. ‘Wow.’

Mickey groaned. ‘You hate them.’

‘No, no!’ Ian said quickly. ‘I just wasn’t expecting flowers! I thought you’d get me… I don’t know. A Snickers bar or something, then make me share with you.’

‘You know I don’t share Snickers bars,’ Mickey said, passing him the bear and the card. ‘I got those, too.’

‘Aw,’ Ian smiled at the little bear went through to the kitchen to put it and the flowers on the table for a moment. He slipped the card out of the envelope and grinned at the cats on the front. ‘That’s adorable.’

‘Jesus Christ,’ Mickey muttered. As Ian opened the card, Mickey felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment. ‘Yeah, I… I don’t know. I couldn’t think of anything to put.’

‘That’s okay,’ Ian said, putting the card down and pulling Mickey into a hug, nestling his face into the side of Mickey’s neck. ‘Thank you, Mick.’

‘Don’t mention it,’ Mickey murmured, smiling into Ian’s shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Later that night, after Ian and Mickey had finished with the obligatory Valentine’s sex, and they were lying a hairsbreadth apart, limbs tangled and heads on the same pillow, the words Mickey had been searching for earlier finally came to him.

‘I love you, Ian Gallagher,’ Mickey whispered, allowing himself to trail his fingers over Ian’s jaw. He bit his lip and watched the way Ian’s face lit up from those few words. Mickey could tell he was about to say something, so he shook his head slightly and said, ‘Not done yet.’

Ian smiled and nodded. ‘Sorry,’ he murmured.

Mickey was quiet a few more moments, and moved his fingertips down Ian’s neck, over his shoulder and down his arm to his hand, and laced their fingers together. ‘I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything or anyone and I’m sorry it took so long for me to realise.’

‘Mick –’

‘Still not done,’ Mickey interrupted softly. ‘I know I’m grumpy as fuck most of the time, and I know I’m difficult to put up with, but I’m glad you do. You’re the only person I want putting up with my shit. Next year, or in five years, or twenty, it’ll still be the same, and I don’t know anything else, but I know that.’ Mickey took a deep breath and looked up to Ian’s face from their intertwined fingers. ‘I don’t need much in life, but I need you, because when everything is a mess and I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, you’re the thing that keeps me grounded. You make me a better person, Ian, you always have. I love you so much it hurts sometimes, but you gotta suffer to get the good stuff, right?’

‘I’m –’

‘One more thing.’

‘Yeah?’

Mickey tightened his fingers and moved his face closer to Ian’s so their foreheads were touching, and their lips were ghosting over each other. Mickey felt so vulnerable right now, because he didn’t even know this side of him existed, but if there was one person he wanted to share it with – it was Ian.

For that reason, Mickey had never felt safer. ‘You’re the most perfect thing that’s ever existed, and I’ll never stop loving you. The seas could dry up, stars could fall from the sky, mountains could blow in the wind like leaves, and I’ll still love you for an eternity after that.’

Ian bit his lip and brought up his other hand to wipe at the tears on his cheeks. ‘Pretty sure that mountains thing is from _Game of Thrones_ , but that’s fine.’

‘Fuck off, I’m trying to have a moment here,’ Mickey grumped.

‘Can I finish your moment?’

‘I suppose.’

Ian smiled and closed the gap between their mouths to kiss Mickey for a few seconds. ‘Thank you for letting me love you, Mickey Milkovich.’

**Author's Note:**

> [((come hmu))](http://im-not-his-keeper.tumblr.com/)


End file.
